Word of the Day
avouch
verb (used with object)
to make frank acknowledgment or affirmation of; declare or assert with positiveness.
More about avouch
Avouch “to make frank acknowledgment of” is derived by way of Middle French avouchier from Latin advocāre “to call to one’s aid.” Advocāre is also the source of advocate (as well as French avocat and Spanish abogado, both meaning “lawyer”) and comes from Latin vōx “voice.” Two doublets of avouch are the similar-sounding avow “to declare frankly and openly” and vouch “to support as being true,” both of which are also derived from advocāre, but even more surprising is that vow “to pledge or resolve solemnly to do” is not related to this family of verbs. Instead, vow comes from Latin vovēre (stem vōt-) “to vow,” which is also the source of vote. Avouch was first recorded in English in the late 14th century.
how is avouch used?
Sophronia, after eying the one and the other somewhat despitefully, fell a-weeping bitterly, complaining of Gisippus his deceit; then, rather than make any words of this in his house, she repaired to that of her father and there acquainted him and her mother with the cheat that had been put upon her and them by Gisippus, avouching herself to be the wife of Titus and not of Gisippus, as they believed.
With Arjun Radhakrishnan as Kalam a casting can’t be more accurate than this. And I avouch that as he brilliantly holds his own against a slightly more seasoned star cast.
bipartisan
adjective
representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions.
More about bipartisan
Bipartisan “representing members from two parties” is a compound of the combining form bi- “twice, two” and the adjective partisan “partial to a specific party.” Partisan comes by way of Middle French from dialectal northern Italian parteźan, which corresponds to standard Italian partigiano and is formed from the noun parte “faction, part” and the suffix -eźan (also -esano, -isano), an adjectival suffix that appears in standard Italian as -igiano. The element -igiano, which appears in nouns of occupation and adjectives of location, often becomes -esan or -isan in words borrowed into English by way of French; just as artisan derives from Italian artigiano, so does courtesan from Italian cortigiana, and for fans of Italian cuisine, this pattern explains how Italian parmigiano “from Parma” has become parmesan in English. Bipartisan was first recorded in English in the first decade of the 20th century.
how is bipartisan used?
Thanks to the Clean Air Act of 1970, air across the United States has gotten 77 percent cleaner—even as the population, the economy, and the number of cars on the road have grown. That improvement has lengthened millions of lives, saved trillions of dollars, and made the country a global air pollution success story. The landmark law was a bipartisan achievement, winning unanimous Senate approval and passing the House of Representatives with just one “no” vote. Its success stems from its focus on scientific evidence, accountability, and ambitious, health-based goals.
The actions and arguments of opponents … help to explain why achieving youth voting rights took three decades. Just as support was bipartisan, so too was the opposition. It also spanned the same demographic and geographic spectrum. Opponents could be found across the country, among young Americans, educators, women, journalists, and public figures. They opposed campaigns at both the state and national levels during the 1940s and 1950s. As a result, proponents could claim few victories in these years.
cordiform
adjective
being in the shape of a heart; heart-shaped.
More about cordiform
Cordiform “in the shape of a heart” is a compound of two combining forms: cord- “heart” and -form “shape.” The stem cord- derives from Latin cor, of the same meaning, which is a distant cognate of English heart. As we learned in the etymologies of the recent Words of the Day corvine and pruinose, the Indo-European languages English and Latin share some predictable sound correspondences, and one of the best-known methods of predicting these correspondences is Grimm’s law. Named after the linguist and folklorist Jakob Grimm (of the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales), Grimm’s law identifies a common pattern: the voiceless stops k (or c), p, and t in Latin and Ancient Greek frequently correspond to the voiceless fricatives h, f, and th in English. In addition to Latin cor and Ancient Greek kardía, which correspond to English heart, we can see this pattern in Latin pater and Ancient Greek patḗr vs. English father. Cordiform was first recorded in English in the 1750s.
how is cordiform used?
Silver and gilded bronze men’s belt fittings and horse harness elements also provide significant precedents for the silver ornaments created for Turkish women. This connection leads to particularly fruitful explanations of the origins of the misleadingly named “heart-shaped” or cordiform ornament. Its distinctive shape, which has inspired some of the finest and most creative examples of Turkmen design, has puzzled scholars. The ornament’s identification with a heart shape has led to the interpretation of this ornament as a symbol of fertility. It has also been described as a spear, and perceived primarily as an amulet to ward off evil.
Fine’s map exhibits several unique features, the first of which requires some context. The map is striking for its cordiform projection,… which forms the earth into the shape of a heart. Unlike the equidistant conic projection … cordiform maps were developed for both symbolic and mathematical reasons. The latter motivation compelled early humanists to find a means of better accounting for the rounded surface of the earth and to prevent distortion.